Potato Salad to Go...

I have come to realize that I like doing things last minute sometimes because I like to be busy, and when I need to do things last minute I'm running around and really busy or FRANTIC as one of my summer staff campers called me. I went to a "galintines" party (valentines party for the gals) and all of us who went were told to bring a dish to share. I was going to make cucumber sandwiches, but found out that someone already was bringing them. So quickly I decided that I'll whip together a potato salad, only I was missing essential ingredients like mayo and sour cream. So, I made everything I could ready at home; cleaned, cut and boiled the potatoes, mixed together the balsamic vinegar, mustard, parmesan cheese, chives, and spices and placed these in a bowl in the back of my car. On the way to my friends house, I was already rushing to get there, I stopped at the Grocery store and bought some mayo and sour cream, and proceeded to mix all of this in the back of my car and head on to my friends house.

The potato salad turned out great and no one would have even known I mixed it all in the back of my car, except for the few passerby's that saw me doing so in the grocery store parking lot.

Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune

These are two shows that are always on in the evening at my house being that there are two wonderful elderly women at my house. The TV is always on downstairs and my great Aunt, Cornelia, also likes to watch Judge Judy and NJ 12 in the afternoon. Sometimes I'll catch a glimpse of my very God-fearing grandma, Maria, watching Jerry Springer reruns. When I ask her "Omama, what are you watching," she quickly is like, "eh it was on and I just stopped here. I don't know." Then she will proceed to change the channel to something less vulgar. I guess when you're that age you're interested to see what kind of a mad world the youngsters are living in.

Living at home has taught me a lot about my character, my patience and my love; basically the way I live and why I live this way. I've learned time and again that my life is not mine to live, but for the Lord to give. It is always about living in the way Christ has instructed us for God. Sometimes this is hard and I find it easiest to be the most impatient with my family... Shame.On.Me. I know that it will be God who continues to soften my heart to continue offering the most precious gift to people; TIME. I learned this today as I joined my Great Aunt Cornelia on a walk around the block. She of all people can be very difficult at times, but that does not excuse my impatience. She still is a child of God, a beautiful creation.

You know, I've been thinking often about what my meeting with Christ will be like for the first time some day. It dawned on me that this is going to be a real meeting; a face to face meeting (or maybe a bowed, fallen face to face). God is alive, Christ is alive and one day I will meet Him, and though I cannot wait, I would not want to waste this gift of TIME that God has given me here to spend wisely and for Him. So often I find myself asking What am I doing? Where am I going? How shall I live? And often I search for this answer in the wrong places when already these questions have been answered.

Matthew 10:38-40, "And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worth of Me. he who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it. He who receives you receives Me,and he who recieves me receives Him who sent Me."

The words of Christ Himself remind us to take up our cross and lose our life, for Him, to find it. This means my time belongs to Him, and it will be in His time that I one day will see Him. This is not in vein, but for Him.

3's Charming

Well, as some of you may know, my Aunt and Uncle gave birth to triplets on Dec. 24th. They did come early and had to be in the hospital for a little over a month, but now two of them are home. It's such an exciting time. Jakob is still waiting to come home, but we pray it won't be much longer. Here are some pictures of their sweet faces (from L to R it's David, Elizabeth, Jakob):

They are just precious. I haven't been able to hold them yet since I've been battling a slight cold for the past 2.5 weeks, but soon I hope to see them and gently squeeze them and love on them.

Adoption

Since the recent news about the visiting group of people in Haiti charged for possible exploitation of orphans, I've been thinking a lot about adoption. I first want to say that if in fact these people were just trying to help, I commend them. BUT... I also think they rushed to conclusions by thinking that taking them out of their home country and providing them with what seemed to be a better life filled with tennis courts and swimming pools would have been better for them. With false advertisement such as this, these children are in for a big disappointment upon arrival to the US; for growing up they are sure to realize that cars and fancy clothes are not what brings true happiness. Yes, I absolutely believe that life is a precious breath from God and that each life deserves love and care, especially these children and families who are in turmoil in Haiti, but will adoption outside of Haiti be what's best for them? The Haitian life is all they have known; the language, the food, the heat, the rhythm and the people. By bringing them to the states we separate them from family members, loved friends and their roots.

Is there not more individuals can do for them in their homeland?

People are willing to bring these babies across the seas to live in their homes, but who is willing to go there for their lifetime and help them in their home? Please understand that I am for adoption, but I am trying to better understand what are the alternatives. It does not fix all things for these kids and they may not always be happy, or maybe they will be. I am just disappointed that this group of people went to Haiti in hopes of bringing back dozens of children for adoption (if that's what they were in fact doing) without seemingly putting a lot of thought into it.

So what are our alternatives? Well for starters, there is desperate need for aid over there in terms of helping to reconstruct their country. But on a smaller scale maybe you're willing to go over there to foster children in their home country and work at an orphanage, or start another orphanage with the help of the natives. Maybe you have the funds to do so and help provide decent education for these children as the country develops. We here live in surplus sometimes. We are to love our neighbor as ourselves, but first of all love our Lord God with all we have. If we do then love our Lord God with all we are, we will begin to see how much he loves and in turn be filled with that love to offer to others. It's truly a God-given, life-living love .

THOUGHTS?

Psalm 23:5

"You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies, you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows."